Apparatus for bending glass sheets or plates



Nov. 11,1958 J. E. JENDRISAK I 2,859,561

APPARATUS FOR BENDING GLASS SHEETSOR PLATES Origina'l Filed May 31. 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 ga dwfi u 2,7616% wope Gitomegs Nov. 11, 1958 J. E. JENDRISAK 2,859,561

APPARATUS FOR BENDING GLASS SHEETS OR PLATES Original Filed May 51, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 55 66 g 26 l l .ZL Z2 22 I 57 15' 55 10 I 61 I 56 19 a 47 5 if 4.9 25 j 57 Hm I I. I I

JNfZ 5 l'mnentor (Ittornegg;

Nov. 11, 1958 J. E. JENDRiSAK 2,859,561

APPARATUS FOR BENDING GLASS SHEETS OR PLATES Original Filed May 31, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 12, "lo 12 e9 64 62 12 12 65 vz 11 i 7172 64 66 m 27 66/65 16 {:1 5% i (Ittomegge United States Patent APPARATUS FOR BENDING GLASS SHEETS OR PLATES Joseph E. Jendrisak, Northville, Mich.

Continuation of application Serial No. 229,178, May 31, 1951. This application November 5, 1953, Serial No. 390,399

12 Claims. (31. 49-67) The present invention relates broadlyto the. bending of sheets or plates of glass or like materials. More particularly, this invention has to do with an improved bending apparatus, including a hinged type, periphery bending mold, and on which there is provided glass locating and supporting devices which are adapted to, not only maintain the glass sheet to be bent in proper relation to the bending surface of the mold, but to institute the opening of the hinged sections of the mold prior to lowering the sheet onto the bending surface thereof.

This application is a continuation of my co-pending application Serial No. 229,178, filed May 31, 1951, now abandoned. I

In the bending of glass sheetsaccording to one of the known present-day practices, it is customary to locate and/or support the glass sheet to be bent at its opposite ends on a periphery type bending mold, and to then heat the sheet to bending temperature to cause it to settle into conformity with the shaping surface of the mold.

It is highly desirable to locate or hold the sheet in its original location so that as it softens under the bending heat it will settle into proper registration with the shaping surface and with only a narrow peripheral or marginal .area in actual contact therewith.

However, because of thecomplicated developed outlines and curvatures to which glass sheets of large size are now being cut and bent, to fit into the design of streamlined automobiles, for example, it has been found that prior known conventional procedures are not entirely satisfactory by reason of the fact that desirably accurate location of a sheet, having a particular patterncut outline, on a periphery, hinged type mold cannot be easily accomplished.

It is an aim of this invention to provide a novel and improved locating and supporting device for glass bending apparatus, including a hinged type mold, which is adapted to function, in a sequential manner, to initially be operable independent of the mold to receive and locate a glass sheet above the mold, to cause movement of the hinged sections of the mold to the open position and then to cooperate with the mold in bringing the glass sheet when softened into bent conformity with the shaping surface thereof.

Another object of the invention is the provision, in glass bending apparatus including a hinged mold, having a shaping surface conforming to the curvature of a glass sheet when finally bent, of an improved locating and supporting means which is operable to properly position a sheet to be bent above the shaping surface both before and after the mold is moved to its open position and to subsequently lower end areas of the glass sheet onto the shaping surface after the mold has returned to its closed position,

Another object is to provide, in glass bending apparatus of the above character, novel and improved glass sheet locating and supporting devices that are arranged at each end of the mold, the said devices being adapted to move independently of the bending mold during loading of the 2 glass sheet and while. positioning the sheet for proper registration with the-shaping surface thereof, and to continuously support the end areas of the sheet during subsequent opening of the mold and until near the completion of the bending operation when the middle section of the sheet has been deposited on the shaping surface and the mold has closed, at which time said locator and supporting devices will deposit the end areas of the sheet onto the related areas of the shaping surface of the closed mold.

Another object is the provision of an improved locating and supporting device for bending apparatus of this type, said locating and supporting device being arranged at the opposite ends of the mold and being adapted to locate a sheet of glass to be bent in proper registration with the shaping surface of said mold while the mold is closed; the said devices at each end of the mold being then adapted to initially coact without operation of the mold to receive the glass'sheet, to then carry the sheet into position for bending on the mold while opening the hinged sections of the mold, to then support the ends of the sheet while the mold is moving to closed position and the sheet is bending, and to finally release the end areas of the sheet onto the shapingsurface of the closed mold at the completion of the bending operation. t

A further object of the invention is to provide an improvedglass sheet locating device for bending apparatus' of the above character which locating device is arranged at the opposite ends thereof, each locating means being independently operablefrom the other and from the general operation of the mold.

Still another object of theinvention is to provide an.

improved glass locating and supporting device for glass bending apparatus of the above character which is arranged at each end thereof and by reason of a novel construction is adapted to move into glass receiving position while the mold is closed, and immediately thereafter, to move, while sustaining the weight of the glass, into position to open the mold automatically and without further manipulation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be come more apparent during the course of the following description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. v

In the drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a glass bending apparatus on which the locating and supporting devices, constructed in accordance with the invention, are positioned to receive a sheet of glass;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the bending apparatus showing the hinged mold in its closed position and the locating devices in their lowermost positions;

Fig. 3 is a similar plan view of the bending apparatus showing the mold in its open position and with the locating devices positioned for the bending operation;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, transverse, vertical sectional view, taken substantially along the line 4-4 in Fig. 1, and showing the bending apparatus with the locating devices in their glass loading positions;

Fig. 5 is a transverse, vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 55 of Fig. 3

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary, longitudinal, vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a sectional View, similar to Fig. 6, but showing the relative positions of the locating devices before and after the mold is caused to open;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a locator for establishing the position of a glass sheet on a locating device; and

taken on line 99 of Fig. 8.

Briefly stated, the special glass locating devices of the present invention are adapted to be arranged at each end of the bending apparatus and are freely movable with respect to the mold thereof. Each of these devices comprises generally a two-part arrangement which opcrates elbow-Wise and is supported at one extreme end on the bending apparatus while the other extreme end is adapted to support one end of a glass sheet.

, To clearly set forth the utility and advantages of such devices, they have been herein operatively shown in connection with a hinged mold having a peculiar wedgeshape end construction. This mold construction is of such a character that the complementary end areas of the mold and of a glass sheet, prior to bending, appear to be of a slightly different wedge-shape character. Accordingly there is a, lack of conformity of registration between the end areas of the unbent sheet and the shaping surface of the mold until the major portion of the sheet, when softened, has bodily settled in conformity With the central areas of the shaping surface. To compensate for this, the locating and supporting devices are adapted to carry the glass sheet with its ends in spaced relation to the mold during the time that these devices are not operatively associated with the mold per se. Then moving elbow-wise, the related parts of the devices, become so associated with the mold that the end areas of the glass sheet are lowered into satisfactory bent conformity with the shaping surface thereof.

Another advantage of the improved locating and su porting devices, from a practical standpoint, is found in the manner of their. initial. operation. Heretofore it has been necessary to lift and open the heavy hinge type molds in order to locate the glass sheet in bending position relative thereto- However, as herein provided, the locating and supporting devices constitute materially lighter-weight portions of theover-all weight of the bending apparatus, that are initially operable independently of the mold, and can. be individually swung upwardly to receive the glass sheet- Then, after the glass is properly located thereon and the locator devices are released, a conjoint action, producible by the devices and the weight of the glass, is sufficient to impart motion to the mold to open the same through its hinged sections into the initial glass bending position without further manual effort or attention on the part of. the operators.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to Fig. 1, there is disclosed a. glass, sheet glass bending apparatus, designated generally by the numeral 10, on which there are arranged and pivotallysupported the sheet glass locating and supporting devices of the present invention designated in their entirety by the numeral 11. As here shown these devices are in their uppermost positions for initially receiving and locating a glass sheet 12 as it is loaded into bending relation with a. bending mold 13. It will-be noted in this figure, and as one of the distinguishing features of the present invention, that, during such positioning of the locating devices 11, the component parts ofv the bending mold 13 are located and remain in their closed position. Subsequently and when the influence of manual force is removed, the locating devices 11 will be influenced by the Weight of the glass sheet 12 to act substantially as levers to effect movement of the mold to its open or initial position for bending, as will be more fully hereinafter described.

The bending-apparatus, 10, which has been selected as one example upon which the locating and supporting devices 11 may be employed to advantage, comprises the open, peripheral or ring type mold 13, including the hingedly connected sections 14, 15 and 16, that is supported on arack or frame 17 by means of links 18 which.

may constitute basic supporting means for the locating devices 11. V

The sections 14, Hand 16of the mold 13, as herein shown, may each be preferably formed as a casting which includes an inner rail 19, an outer rail 20' and transgenerally indicated at 23 (Figs. 6 and 7).

4 versely disposed webs 21 (Fig. 5) that are interposed between said inner and outer rails to adequately reenforce the mold throughout its open or ring-type outline. If desired, struts or bracing rods 22 may be secured to the central mold sections 15 and extend therebetween to unite these sections into a unitary structure. When arranged to form the mold 13, the component sections thereof are pivotally interconnected by means of hinges The inner rail 19 of each of the sections 14, 15 and 16 is particularly shaped to the outline and/or bend contour desired in the finally bent glass sheet, and the actual shaping surface 24 of the mold is finished on the upper edges thereof.

In side elevation these combined sections 14, 15 and 16 resemble a broadened U-shape of which the centrally disposed portion formed on the mold section 15 has a relatively shallow concave contour while the ends or legs of the U-shape, formed by the end mold sections 14 and 16, rise at a gradual angle or curve therefrom. The end sections 14 and 16, in plan, present a wedgeshape appearance which is accentuated by the fact that the apex of said wedge is disposed off-center from the longitudinal axis of equilibrium of the mold per se. Each of the end sections are made up of especially formed rail members 25 and 26; the rail members 25, on one side of the mold axis, being shaped to rise in a curve toward the apex 27 of each end section while the rail members 26, on the other side of the molds axial line,,are shaped to rise through a relatively sharp curve and continue upwardly toward the apex'27 along a substantially straight line.

This peculiarity-of outline in. the end areas of the mold creates a diflicult problem in handling the glass sheet. during the bending thereof since, while flat, the sheet will. be substantially out of balance and, due to the particular pattern-cut outline, the end areas of the sheet will not conform to the related areas of the mold even in its open position. In the exemplary type of mold herein shown, this apparent non-conformity between the glass sheet and the shaping surface of the mold arises from the character of the pattern-cut outline and bend curvature and the exact over-all length of glass sheet required to obtain the desired bend- While these factors arise from the particular form of bend herein specifically described, it will be appreciated that other types of bendv and/ or patterned outline, bent on similarly constructed molds present analogous problems, the essential point. of consideration residing in the handling of the glass sheet while softening so that certain or end areas of the glass sheet will be sustained, despite the settling thereof, out of shaping contact with the mold until the major area thereof has been bodily received on the shaping surface of the mold, at which time the end areas can be released. so that they will be definitely shaped with-- out overreaching or falling short of the shaping surface. The locating devices 11 have been devised to accomplish this purpose, and their function will be more fully set.

forth in connection with the description of their formation and operation.

As previously described, the mold 13 is bodily carried within the frame 17 by means of the links 18 that are arranged in the corners of the frame, and pivotally associated with the end mold sections 14 and 16in such a manner as to permit these end sections to swing with reference to said rack. and in hinged relation, on the hinges 23, with the central mold section 15. The rack or frame 17 comprises end members 28'and side rails 29 which are substantially parallel with the central mold section 15 and are curved to the general curvature of the mold 13 in its entirety.

The end members 28 of the rack are generally rectangular in outline and are provided at their upper corners with rising apertured sections 30. These apertured or slotted sections 30 are formed by a series of four vertically disposed bars 31 which are joined at their upper ends by a horizontally disposed web 32 to form three vertically elongated slots 33 through which the ends of the side rails 29 may be inserted. The ends 34 of the side rails 29 are provided with shoulder surfaces 35 and 36 that abut one side of the slotted sections 30, and a tongue 37 which is inserted into one of the vertically disposed slots 33. The tongues 37 at opposite ends of each side rail are accordingly located in directly opposed slots 33 of the end members 28 to obtain parallelism between the rails generally and the spacing required to accommodate the mold 13. Openings 38 are formed in each of the tongues 37 and are preferably triangular in outline to receive wedgeshaped bars 39 which will operate to draw said tongues through the slots 33 and firmly position the shouldered surfaces 35 and 36 of the rail ends 34 against the sides of the slotted sections 30 thereby generally effecting a rigid construction throughout the rack 17.

On the inner surface of each end 34 of the side rails 29, there is created an inwardly directed U-formation 40 and provision is made in the web 41 of said formation and the adjacent rib 42 of the rail for supporting a stub shaft 43. The shaft 43, in each corner of the framework, is adapted to carry the upper ends 44 of the links 18. As herein provided, the links 18 are shaped substantially like a lower case letter 11; that is to say, each link is comprised of one long leg and a relatively shorter leg and thus provides a single pivotal support at one or the upper end 44 and a double support at the opposite or lower end 45. The lower ends 45 of each link 18 are formed to provide journals for the ends of a shaft 46. Each shaft 46 carries arms 47 extending from and forming integral parts of the outer rails 20 of the end mold sections 14 and 16 to support the same in pivotal relation to the rack 17. Preferably the arms 47 are secured to the shafts 46 by welding or like methods. The mold 13 is thus bodily suspended by its end sections within the rack 17 and these end sections 14 and 16 are freely movable in their hinged relation to the central mold section 15 to the end that the mold may be readily expanded from its closed position to its open position as the end sections swing on the hinges 23 and rotate the shafts 46,

and the expanding or lengthening of the mold generally is compensated for by radial movement of the links 18,

on the stub shafts 43.

The hinges 23, which pivotally interconnect the adjoining ends of the central mold section 15 and the end mold sections 14 and 16, as herein provided, are formed as component parts of the outer rails 20, associated with each of the said mold sections. Thus, a U-shaped formation 48 is created at the ends of the end sections 14 and 16 while a similar and overlapping U-shaped formation 49 is created at the opposite ends of the rails 20 of the central mold section 15. Preferably each U-formation 48 is spaced sufliciently to be received between the related U-formation 49 and when thus assembled suitable journal openings are formed therein for the pintles 50. The parallel disposed walls of the U-formation 48 may also be provided with overhanging lugs 51 that will engage the webs 52 of each associated formation 49 to operate as limiting stops for the mold when the end mold sections have reached their closed position with reference to the central mold section.

According to this invention, the bending mold 13 herein illustrated and described, is adapted to be raised from its closed position to its open position without the intervention of manual effort. Also, during the actual bending process the mold is movable back to its closed position before the glass sheet is entirely disassociated from the means by which it originally is located relative to the mold. In the first instance, the glass is loaded into bending relation with the mold and received on the locating devices 11 which at the time are acting independently of the molds operation and, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, have been moved upwardly and out of cooperative association with the mold per se. When the locating devices 11 are released, the weight of the glass and the character of their 6 support on the bending apparatus 10 imposes a pressure or lever action upon the shafts 46 which, through the extending arms 47, is transmitted'to the end mold sections 14 and 16, and consequently causes them to swing about the axes of the shafts 46 and simultaneously pivot about the operatively associated with portions of the mold and a radial direction of motion is permitted which causes said devices to gradually lower the supported end areas of the glass sheet until, at the completion of the bending operation, the mold is closed and the devices move farther downwardly to release the glass onto the shaping surface. As herein provided, the locating devices 11 are carried on their lower elements or bifurcated arms 53 that are supported on and secured by set-screws, welding or like methods to the shafts 46. The arms 53 are arranged on the shafts 46 at an outwardly disposed angle to a perpendicular plane or to the substantially vertical position assumed by the links 18 while supporting the mold 13 bodily in its closed position. The angular relation thus established by the arms 53 creates, in a sense, a rocking lever type of arrangement, in which the said arms constitute one element and the integrally formed arms 47 of the end mold sections 14 and 16 form the other element with the shafts 46, journaled in the lower ends 45 of the links 18, serving as the fulcrum.

The arms 53, of the locating devices 11 at each end of the mold 13, are provided with journal openings in their upper, bifurcated ends 54 for a shaft 55 which carries the upper element of the devices 11. This upper element comprises an open, web-like frame or body member 56' having a plurality of rearwardly disposed legs 57. The end of each leg 57 is formed to receive the shaft 55 therein and the two middle legs 57 are spaced so as to be 'locatable in the bifurcated ends 54 of the arms 53. Preferably, the related ends 58 of thelegs 57 are suitably enlarged to provide openings for the shaft 55 and are provided with radially disposed threaded openings 59, which are adapted to receive set screws 69 to securely lock the body member 56 on the shaft 55. By means of the set screws, the body member 56, or, more specifically, the locating devices 11, may be properly positioned with respect to their movements toward and away fro-m the mold sections 14 and 16.

The two outer legs 57 of the body member 56 are extended from the transverse Web 61 thereof in the opposite direction as inwardly directed leg portions 62. The ends of the leg portions 62 are provided with journal openings for receiving the ends of a compound shaft 63 which is composed of aligned stub shafts 64 and 65. The compound shaft 63 is carried by an especially formed bar, 66 which in plan is shaped in agreement with the general wedge shape of the rail members 19 and 20 of the end mold sections 14 and 16. More particularly, the angular relation of the wings 67 and 68 of said bar is determined by the developed pattern outline of the end areas ofthe glass sheet 12 when flat so that while the bar is movable into and out of substantial nesting rela tion with the inner rails 25.and 26 of the related end mold section, it will also adequately support such related areas of theglass sheet. Suitable braces 69 and 70 may be secured to the outer or rear surfaces of the wings 67 and 68 to firmly carry the stub shafts 64 and 65 and obtain relatively free swinging motion of the bar 66 relative to the body member 56 of the locating device. The locatingdevice 11 is thus formed by a lower element or arm 53, a pivotally carried upper element such as the body member 56, and a component, pivotally carried and angularly formed member such as the bar 66.

In connection with the bar 66, it will also be noted that in the present construction, the wing 67 of each bar is considerably longer than the related wing 68. The reason for this extension on one side is particularly important in the form of bending mold herein illustrated, since the pattern of the glass creates a theoretical line through its extreme ends which is parallel to but does not coincide with the normal axis of equilibrium of the sheet. Hence the overbalancing side of glass is carried on the longer wing 67, while the underbalanced side is carried on the shorter wing 68. The sheet, during its initial period of bending, will therefore be sustained in balance until its major portions are bodily supported on the shaping surface 24 of the mold.

Now each bar 66 since it is bent in shape to the pattern-cut outline of the flat glass sheet actually constitutes the support for said glass which is carried on a ledge formed by the upper surface 71 thereof. The marginal edges of the glass sheet are positioned with reference to the surface 71 by means of locating elements, such as ceramic sleeves or like cylindrical members, 72, that are carried on pivotally mounted frames 73. Each frame 73 (Figs. 8 and 9) is supported by means of a pin 74 on a bracket 75 secured to the outer surface of the wings 67 and 68 by screws or the like 76. The pivoted frame 73 is generally channel-shaped, having side walls 77 and a web 78 extending between and interconnecting the lower ends of the side walls. At their opposite ends, the walls 77 are formed to freely support a pin 79 on which the locating element 72 is carried.

The pivoted frame 73 is adjustable relative to the upper surface 71 of the wings 67 and 68 in order that the locating element 72 can be spaced from said surface to accommodate the marginal area of the fiat glasssheet. This adjustment is obtained by means of a screw 80 threaded through the web 78 and hearing at its end against the bracket 75. Once the desired adjusted position for the locating element 72 has been attained, the screw 80 is locked against motion by means of a nut 81. The screw 80 thus limits the outward movement of the roll 72 to locate the edge of a glass sheet with reference to the surface 71 of the bar 66. In the present invention, the inclusion of a series of such locating elements, as one along one wing and at least two along the other wing, permits transverse shifting of position of the glass sheet with respect to its eventual registration on the mold shaping surface 24.

The brackets 75, on which the locating elements 72, generally are supported, are located in substantially parallel relation at the opposite ends of the mold. During the preliminary adjustment of the rolls by means of the screws 80, the same may, as a group, be swung outwardly to make minor alterations for the over-all length of the flat glass sheet; after which, by individual manipulation, they may be positioned to locate the said sheet transversely since otherwise one side or the other of the glass will not properly register with the shaping surface of the mold.

In operation, the bending apparatus 10 is carried through a bending furnace in a continuous order of movement and is loaded with flat glass in an area adjoining the entry end thereof. At this point in the continuous operation, the body members 56 of the locating devices 11 are swung upwardly on the shafts 55 from the position shown in Fig. 6 to a position as shown in phantom lines in Fig. 7 which is the glass loading position. A glass sheet, such as the sheet 12, is then placed upon the wings 67 and 68 of the bars 66 with its edges in proper engagement with the several locating elements 72, and at this time the bars 66 will be swung into the horizontal plane. Once the glass is supported on the 10- eating devices 11, they are manually released. Now the 8 glass becomes substantially a free weight which will react through the body members 56 and cause the arms 53 "to be swung downwardly to a position suchas is illustrated by the full lines in Fig. 7. The distance between the axes of the shafts 55 and 63, combined with the displacement of the arms 53 (from phantom line to the full line position) plus the fact that the links 18 will also be swung outwardly, is sufiicient to enable the body members 56 to carry the bars 66, with the glass sheet thereon, downwardly in a substantially vertical direction from the loading position into their initial bending positions above the shaping surface 24.

At the same time the glass will be imposing its weight, through the locating devices, onto the arms 53 thereof to etfect'their rotation, and consequently that of the shafts 46. This induced action of the arms 53 and the shafts 46 will produce the above described opening of the mold sections through the arms '47 while, in a simultaneous action, the opening of said mold sections will cause the links 18 to swing outwardly or out-of-plumb to compensate for the overall expansion of the mold.

Provision is made to stop further motion ofthe'memhers 56 according to the desired elevation of the glass above the shaping surface and the extent of independent movement to be permitted the bars 66 in their final lowering of the glass onto said surface. Such movement of the body members 56 is controlled by means of a limiting screw 82, threadably carried by a boss 83 on the arms 53, said screw being locked in adjusted position by means of a nut 84. As shown in Fig. 7, the members 56 will thus 'be permitted an additional range of downward motion and until the legs 57 thereof engage the screws 82.

Once the mold 13 is fully opened, its normal tendency is to return by gravity to its closed position and this is further influenced by the out-of-plumb positions of the links 18 To produce this closing motion, the end mold sections 14 and 16 must swing inwardly and downwardly about the axes of the shafts 46. However, this influence toward the reverse or closing motion is directed against the arms 53 and therefrom to the locating elements 72 with a resultant inward thrust upon the ends of the glass sheet. Now, since the sheet is flat and rigid, it characteristically operates as a strut or horizontal column to withstand the compressive forces and thereby will hold the mold in its open position.

When properly heated to bending temperature, the rigid characteristic of the glass sheet is dissipated and it begins to settle until the central area registers on the corresponding central area of the mold, as defined by the section 15. During this progressive sagging of the glass, the compressive forces effective at the ends of the mold are released and evidenced by the gradual inward sweep of the links 18, inward motion of the end mold sections 14 and 16, and consequent rotation of the shafts 46 and the arms 53. The locating devices are accordingly caused to follow the inward collapsing movement of the glass and yet the residual strength therein causes the supporting bars 66 to swing on the shaft 63 so that the ledges or surfaces 71 thereof will continue to carry the glass above the shaping surface 24. Approximately at the same time that the mold sections 14, 15 and 16 complete the continuity of the shaping surface 24 in their closed positions, the legs 57 of the body members 56 are engaged by the screws 82 and their movements halted.

The bars 66 now move in an are described about the shafts 63 and as determined by rails 85 carried by the end mold sections. These rails 85 are fixedly mounted relative to the rails 19 and 20 of the end mold sections and their upper edge constitutes a cam whereby the motion of the bars 66 will be of such a nature that in swinging on the shafts 63, the bars will ride on their lower surfaces 86 and as the outermost ends of the wings 67 and 68 pass beneath the shaping surface 24, the apices 87 of the bars will rise in a motion toward the apices 27 of the mold sections 14 and 16. As the bars 66 approach a position, such as is shown in Fig. 6, they will move to lower the extreme ends of the glass onto the shaping surface and separate therefrom. The final shaping of the glass sheet in its end areas thus occurs after the mold is closed and the bars are pivoted on the rails 85 until the wings 67 and 68 thereof are lowered beneath the elevation of the related area of the shaping surface.

In the early portions of this specification, it was mentioned that the curved outlines of the side rails 29 and of the sections forming the mold 13 are substantially the same so that, if desired, the mold and the bent glass sheet supported thereon may be passed through a tempering area in which blasts of cooling air are directed against the upper and lower surfaces of the hot glass.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as an illustrative embodiment only of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts, as well as various procedural changes may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim: 7

1. In apparatus for bending glass sheets or plates, the combination with a frame, and a bending mold mounted within said frame, of a sheet supporting and locating device associated therewith; said device including a link, means for pivoting said link to said frame, means for supporting a sheet of glass by a margin thereof in bending relation to said mold, and linkage means between said supporting means and a free portion of said link to permit said supporting means to be raised above said mold into sheet receiving position to move downwardly into bending position under the weight of the glass when released and to move upon sagging of the sheet when heated to deposit the bent sheet on the mold; said linkage means comprising one linkage member pivoted at one of its ends to said supporting means, a second linkage member pivoted at one of its ends to the free portion of said link, and means for pivotally connecting the free ends of said linkage members together outwardly of said link and said supporting means.

2. In apparatus for bending glass sheets or plates, the combination with a frame, and a bending mold mounted within said frame, of a sheet supporting and locating device associated with one end of said frame and said mold; said device including a pair of links pivoted at their upper ends to inner surfaces of said frame at opposite sides thereof, a shaft carried at its opposite ends in the free ends of said links, means substantially coinciding with the shape of the end of said mold for supporting an end of a sheet of glass to be bent and adapted to lie outside the adjacent end of said mold in one position, and elbow-type linkage means connecting said supporting means and the free lower end of said link to permit said supporting means to be lifted into position to receive an unbent sheet of glass above said mold, to move downwardly into bending position under the weight of the unbent sheet when released and to move during sagging of the sheet under heat to deposit the sheet onto the mold as it bends; said linkage means comprising a linkage member mounted at one end on said shaft for pivotal movement relative to said link, a second linkage member pivotally connected at one end to said supporting means, means pivotally connecting the free ends of said linkage members together outwardly of said link and said supporting means, and means associated with the linkage members to control the extent to which said elbow-type linkage means can close.

3. In apparatus for bending glass sheets or plates including a bending mold, and a sheet supporting and locating device associated with at least one end of said mold for supporting a glass sheet in bending relation thereto, said device comprising means for supporting an end of a sheet, and linkage means for carrying said sup porting means and permitting movement thereof relative to said mold to first move said supporting means into position to receive an unbent sheet above said mold and then lower the same to place the bent sheet onto the mold comprising a linkage member having one end thereof pivotally mounted adjacent one end of said mold, a-second linkage member pivotally connected at one end to said supporting means, and means for pivotally connecting the free ends of said linkage members outwardly of said mold and said supporting means.

4. In apparatus for bending glass sheets or plates, the combination with a frame, and a periphery type bending mold made up of a plurality of sections hingedly connected together for movement into an open and into a closed position within said frame, of a sheet supporting and locating and mold opening device associated with at least one end of said frame and mold; said device including basic supporting means mounted on the frame for reciprocal movement along a path substantially parallel with said mold, means for supporting a sheet of glass by a margin thereof in bending relation to the mold, and linkage means connecting said supporting means and said mold with said basic supporting means; said linkage means comprising a linkage member pivotally connected to said sheet supporting means at one end, a second linkage member connected at one end to said mold and at its opposite end to said basic supporting means for pivotal movement relative thereto, a third linkage member connected at one end to said basic supporting means and to said second linkage member for pivotal movement with said second linkage member as a unit relative to said basic supporting means, and means for pivotally connecting the free ends of said first and third linkage members together outwardly of said basic supporting means and said sheet supporting means.

5. In apparatus for bending glass sheets or plates, the combination with a frame, and a periphery type bending mold made up of a plurality of sections hingedly connected together for movement into an open and into a closed position within said frame, of independently operable sheet supporting and locating and mold opening de: vices associated with opposite ends of said frame and mold; each of said devices comprising a pair of links pivoted at their upper ends to inner surfaces of said frame at opposite sides thereof, a shaft carried at its opposite ends in the free ends of said links, means substantially coinciding with the shape of the end of said mold for supporting an end of a sheet of glass to be bent and adapted to lie outside of the adjacent end of said mold when in one position, and elbow-type linkage means connecting said sheet supporting means and an adjacent end section of said mold with said shaft; said linkage means comprising a linkage member pivotally connected at one end to said supporting means, a second linkage member connected at one end to said mold and at its opposite end to said shaft for pivotal movement relative thereto, a third linkage member connected at one end to said shaft and to said second linkage member for pivotal movement with said second linkage member as a unit relative to said shaft, means for pivotally connecting the free ends of said first and third linkage members together outwardly of said basic supporting means and said sheet supporting means, and means associated with said first and third linkage members to control the extent to which said elbow-type linkage means can close.

6. In apparatus for bending glass sheets or plates, the combination with a frame, and a periphery type bending mold made up of a plurality of sections hingedly connected together for movement into an open and into a closed position within said frame, of a sheet supporting and locating and mold opening device associated with at least one end of said frame and mold; said device including basic supporting means mounted on the frame for reciprocal movement along a path substantially parallel with said mold, means for supporting asheet of glass by a margin thereof in bending relation to the mold, and linkage means connecting said supporting means and said mold with said basic Supporting means; said linkage means comprising a linkage member pivotally connected to said sheet supporting means at one end, a second linkage member connected at one end to an adjacent end section of said mold and at its opposite end to said basic supporting means for pivotal movement relative thereto, a third linkage member connected at one end to said basic supporting means and to said second linkage member for pivotal movement with said second linkage member as a unit relative to said basic supporting means, and means for pivotally connecting the free ends of said first and third linkage members together outwardly of said basic supporting means and said sheet supporting means; and a cam rail carried by an end section of said mold and positioned for contact by said sheet supporting means during final bending of the sheet to guide said sheet sup porting means during pivotal movement thereof relative to said first mentioned linkage members. I

7. In apparatus for bending glass sheets or plates, the combination with a frame, and a periphery type bending mold made up of a plurality of sections hingedly con nected together for movement into an open and into a closed position Within said frame, of independently operable sheet supporting and locating and mold opening devices associated with opposite ends of said frame and mold; each of said devices comprising a pair of links pivoted at their upper ends to inner surfaces of said frame at opposite sides thereof, a shaft carried at its opposite ends in the free ends of said links, means substantially coinciding with the shape of the end of said mold for supporting an end of a sheet of glass to be bent and adapted to lie outside of the adjacent end of said mold when in one position, and elbow-type linkage means con necting said sheet supporting means and said mold with said shaft; said linkage means comprising a linkage member pivotally connected at one end to said supporting means, a second linkage member connected at one end to an adjacent end section of said mold and at its opposite end to said shaft for pivotal movement relative thereto, a third linkage member connected at one end to said shaft and to said second linkage member for pivotal movement with said second linkage member as a unit relative to said shaft, means for pivotally connecting the free ends of said first and third linkage members together outwardly of said basic supporting means and said sheet supporting means, and means associated with said first and third linkage members to control the extent to which said elbow-type linkage means can close; and a cam rail carried by an end section of said mold and positioned for contact by said sheet supporting means during final bending of the sheet to guide said sheet supporting means during pivotal movement thereof relative to said first mentioned linkage member.

8. In apparatus for bending glass sheets or plates including a bending mold, and a sheet supporting and locating device associated with at least one end of said mold for supporting a glass sheet in bending relation thereto, said device including means for supporting an end of a sheet, and elbow-type linkage means for carrying said sheet support and permitting movement thereof relative to said mold to first move said sheet supporting means into position to receive an unbent sheet above said 12 mold and to subsequently lower the same to place the bent sheet onto the mold, said linkage means comprising a basic supportingmeans mounted adjacent an end of said mold for reciprocal movement along a path generally parallel thereto, a linkage member having one end thereof pivotally mounted on said basic supporting means, a

second linkage member pivotally connected at one end to said sheet supporting means, and means for pivotally connecting the free ends of said linkage members together outwardly of said mold and said basic supporting means.

9. In apparatus for bending a glass sheet or the like, a mold comprising a plurality of movably mounted mold sections having a shaping surface formed on the upper edges thereof, means supporting said movably mounted mold sections for movement from an open to a closed position, sheet locating and supporting means, means mounting said sheet locating and supporting means for movement relative to said mold sections from a first position above the mold shaping surface to a final position below said mold shaping surface, and means operatively connecting said V sheet locating and supporting means to a movably mounted mold section whereby said sheet locating and supporting means moves from the first position toward the final position during movementof the movably mounted mold sections from the open to the closed position.

10. Apparatus of the character defined in claim 9, in which said connecting means comprises linkage mounted for pivotal movement with respect to said mold supporting means about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of movement of the mold sections from the open to the closed position.

11. Apparatus of the character defined in claim 10, in which said linkage comprising at least two pivotally connected links which permit said sheet locating and supporting means to be raised a substantial distance above the mold shaping surface and then lowered to a second position more nearly adjacent said mold shaping surface.

12. In apparatus for bending a glass sheet or the like, a mold comprising a plurality of movably mounted mold sections having a shaping surface formed on the upper edges thereof, means supporting said mold sections for movement as 'a unit and relative to one another from an open to a closed position, sheet locating and supporting means shaped to generally conform to the shape of a portion of said shaping surface, means mounting said supporting means for movement relative to said mold sections from'a first position above said shaping surface to a final position below and into surrounding relation to and substantial conformity with said shaping surface, common support means for said mold sections and said sheet locating and supporting means, and means operatively connecting the same to said common support means and to one another whereby said sheet locating and supporting means move with said movably mounted mold sections during the movement thereof from the open to the closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

